Sat., Sept 11 and Sun. Sept 12

Sat., Sept 11: Bill and I left Normandy Farm, reluctantly, and headed north. The weather was great, 75 and sunny. The new RV park is not nearly as nice as Normandy Farm but it is nice enough. It was about 80 miles away in Salibury, MA., at Black Bear Rv Park. We got hooked up and spent the afternoon and evening "vegging out".

Sun., Sept. 12: After spending some time with the dogs, Bill and I headed out to Gloucester, MA. But about 5 miles up I95 we were enticed off the interstate by a sign that said "Maritime Museum" and pulled into Newburyport, MA. It is lucky we did because we had such fun. We drove around until we found the Maritime Museum but it didn't open until noon so we had some time to kill. We looked around and there was what appeared to be an antique or flea market in a warehouse on the waterfront (Merrimac River, an inlet from the Atlantic Ocean). We walked around and admired quite a few items but left empty handed.

The Custom House Maritime Museum finally opened and we went on a self-guided tour. It was built after the Revolutionary War, originally to house customs coming in on ships. Uncle Sam wanted his even then. The place was full of history. It was built by the man (Robert Mills) who built the US Treasury building in DC. It  housed permanent and temporary exhibits. For our visit there was a collection of models of famous ships. Bill was in "hog heaven". He studied and photographed every model. I enjoyed it too.                                   

We took a stroll on the boardwalk on the wharf and the scenery was beautiful. The city obviously depends on the water for their economy. When I looked at how the shops were designed to attract tourists and the boats on the water, I knew this. If you got very far away from the water the houses and shops were totally different.                                                                                                                                                  

We had lunch at a seafood restaurant on the waterfront and it was outstanding. Then while studying one of the brochures we had picked up we discovered there was a functioning boat builder in town that had been turned into a historic spot. We found it and toured it and it was unbelievable. They were located on the water and were still building boats for the public but were a working museum. It was started in 1600s. We bought a window box. Can't wait to get to see how it looks at home.